The invention relates to form-fill-seal web packaging systems. A form-fill-seal web packaging system packages a product. One type of packaged product is a food product, e.g. hotdogs, and other packaged food items. Other types of packaged products include non-food products. For example, there is a growing demand for one-time use disposable sterile medical products and devices. For packaging of these types of products, ultra high quality validate able sealing is critically important to maintain sterility while also allowing for easy peel access to the contents of the package. Such products may typically include disposable syringes, needles, baby bottles for premature infants, IV (intravenous) devices, surgical prep kits, sterile gloves, and so on.
A web transport conveyor transports the lower web from upstream to downstream through a series of stations which form the lower web into a component of a package, e.g. a pocket or downwardly depending cavity, at a forming station, and receive the product at a loading station into the lower web package, and close and seal the package with the upper web at a closing and sealing station, typically thermally adhesively sealing the upper and lower webs to each other. A pasteurization station may be provided between the loading station and the closing station for pasteurizing and/or sterilizing the product.
The present invention arose during continuing development efforts directed toward the above noted form-fill-seal web packaging systems, including improvements at the sealing station.